A Hidden Love Life
by AngelOfDarkness910
Summary: When Emiko's studies bring her to Konoha, she sees someone she hasn't seen for years. Someone she believe to be dead, her older brother. She also begins to fall for Naruto Uzumaki. Will her brother approve of this relationship? Will he even know about it?
1. Another Uchiha?

AoD: Hey everyone! I've got a Naruto fic here for you to read! It's rated Teen… because… well… I don't know why… It's going to have cursing… So I guess that's why. The rating might go up to M, but I'm still not quite sure about that...

AoD: Obviously, this is an OC x Naruto fic. If you don't like that pairing, just please give it a chance! I'll give you a cookie if you do!

AoD: Oh, and so nobody asks me about this later…. This takes place before just about everything in the anime…Well, everything except for the Genin exam.

AoD: Pretty much no manga/anime related events will occur in this fic except for the occasional encounter with one or two villains of the series.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Naruto or any of the characters/places/etc. They belong to their creator.

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_The final flames of the burning houses were finally dieing down. Dead bodies were scattered across the land and blood was still flowing out of the corpses. A young, five-year-old girl was hidden near the edge of the forest, where she sat crying. Her entire family was murdered. She was the only one left. She was the sole survivor of her clan… Or so she thought…_

**Chapter 1**

A twelve-year-old girl who had shoulder blade-length, dark blue hair, held back by a black headband with the symbol of the Hidden Sand Village on it, with sapphire eyes, wearing a blue and black outfit, was jogging down the slightly crowded dirt road. She was new in the Genin class of the Village Hidden in the Leaves. She had been a Genin in the Village Hidden in the Sand but was transferred to Konoha. It was only her second day there, so she had no idea as to where she was going.

Deciding to ask for directions, she looked around and spotted a girl with light pink hair. She decided to go over and ask the girl where the school was.

"Excuse me," she said, "But do you know where the class for all of the Genin-ranked ninja is being held?"

"Oh! Are you new here?"

"Yes, I am. I am a Genin, transferred here from Suna, the Hidden Sand Village."

"Cool! I guess that you're in my class then! My name's Sakura," Sakura said happily, "What's your name?"

"My name is Emiko," she responded.

"Well, Emiko-chan, how about we walk to class together?"

"Sure," Emiko said with a shrug, showing that she really didn't care, even though she knew that she would need Sakura's help to find the school.

As the two girls walked down the road, Sakura pointed out important places to help Emiko find her way around the village, as well as told her all about some of the teachers and students that she would meet.

"However," Sakura said, "The most annoying person you will meet in our class would have to be-"

However, she was cut off by a loud voice coming from on top of one of the buildings.

"Hey, Sakura-chan!"

"Ugh… Naruto…" Sakura didn't seem too pleased while saying that.

Emiko and Sakura looked up to see a blonde boy in an orange jacket and pants standing on the roof of a nearby building. The boy jumped down and landed in front of them. He turned to Emiko and began to speak.

"I haven't seen you around here before. You must be new! My name is Naruto Uzumaki! What's your name?" he asked.

Before Emiko had a chance to answer, Sakura interrupted.

"It's none of your business who she is, Naruto! Now leave us alone!"

Naruto looked deeply hurt by this statement. Not physically, but mentally. Emiko could easily see it in his eyes that he cared deeply for Sakura and wanted nothing more than for her to accept him.

The two girls then walked off. Emiko looked back just in time to see Naruto kick sadly at the ground then jump back onto the roofs of the buildings to continue on his way to school.

"He seemed pretty upset," Emiko said when she turned back to Sakura.

"Well he deserved it," Sakura stated, "Trust me, Emiko-chan, you have no idea how much trouble Naruto has caused this village. Everyone is much happier when he's not around."

As they continued to walk toward the school, Sakura began to talk about this one boy in the class, who's name she conveniently forgot to mention, that she fancied. Emiko decided to remain silent as she spoke, not wanting to give Sakura any more topics to annoy her with.

"And he is so cute! One of the best-looking guys in the class, that's for sure! Sure, he doesn't speak much… But when he does," she sighed dreamily, "His voice is to die for."

"But let's forget about the guys here for now," Sakura said, "Were there any guys in your village that you liked?"

"I didn't like any of them," Emiko responded, "They were all full of themselves. They think that the world revolves around them and that everyone else is insignificant. Either that, or they believe that all of the other people in the world should be killed. I don't care for people who think like that."

"Oh… Well… Were there any guys that you thought were cute? You know, appearance-wise?" Sakura was surprised by the fact that they boys in the Village Hidden in the Sand were so cruel, but she was still interested in how many of them were good looking.

"Most of them look decent," Emiko said shortly. She then thought for a minute and one person's face came into her mind. "But there **is** one person whom I think looks much better than the rest."

Sakura squealed with delight.

"Really! Who is it?" she questioned excitedly.

'I'm beginning to really dislike this girl…' Emiko thought after Sakura had squealed.

"Well, his name is Gaara. But, of coarse, he's one of those guys who just wants to kill everyone." Emiko stated.

"Figures… Why do so many guys have to be either complete jerks or clowns?" Emiko was about to reply, but Sakura continued talking. "But anyway, the boy in our class is such a hottie! Come to think of it…" Sakura looked at Emiko. "You sort of look like him, except, well, you're a girl. But you two can't be related to each other! I mean, how could you? He's lived here his whole life and you've been living in Suna."

"Yeah, it's probably just a weird coincidence."

"And adding on to all of that, you can't be one of his relatives because his entire family a while back. It was so sad…" Sakura said.

"His whole family?" Emiko said in surprise as her eyes widened, "How could his entire family, except for him, be killed?"

"I'm not sure… Only a few people know what happened." Sakura responded.

"How old was he when it happened?"

"He said that he was only six. Just imagine, losing all the ones whom you cared about, who cared about you…"

"I don't have to imagine. I lost my family when I was five…" Emiko stated gloomily as she looked down at the ground. They had just stopped in front of a large building.

Sakura let out a small gasp and covered her mouth. "Do… Do you mind me asking how it happened?"

Emiko shook her head. "To tell you the truth, I don't know… But what I do remember about it is the worst thing of all…"

"You mean, your family being killed?"

"No… there's something worse than watching someone's death. And that would be to see them all dead moments later… Have you ever seen a battleground after the fight is over?"

Sakura shook her head in response.

"Well it's not pretty… Houses on fire. Blood everywhere. Dead bodies scattered across the ground; their eyes open, empty. The sight of that can turn the strongest of warriors into crying babies." Emiko said this as she closed her eyes, looking at her memories of her walking around the battlefield, looking down at all of the corpses, closing the eyes of any whose were open.

Sakura bit her lip and looked down at the ground with a loss of words. Emiko sighed, opened her eyes, and looked at the building in front of them.

"Is this the academy?" she asked, changing the subject.

"Oh, yes, it is."

"Do you know where I can find Sarutobi-sama? The Hokage?" Emiko questioned as she looked back at Sakura.

"Oh, umm… Just go down this walkway, and it is the third door on your right," Sakura responded.

"Okay, thank you, Sakura-chan. I guess I'll see you later."

Emiko then ran off to find Sarutobi. She slowed to a stop as she reached the third door that was on her right. She knocked three times and listened.

"You may enter," and old man's voice said from inside.

Emiko slid the door open and cautiously stuck her head into the room.

"I'm sorry to bother you, Hokage-sama," Emiko stated, "But I was told I should see you before I went to class."

"Ah, yes," Sarutobi responded, "You must be Emiko, the Genin transferred here from the Village of Sand. Come, come in."

He motioned for her to come completely into the room, and Emiko complied. She stood motionlessly in the middle of the room, facing the Hokage, waiting for him to speak.

"Now, before you can earn the title of a Konoha Genin, you must first pass a test. A test that all Konoha academy students must take before becoming and official ninja," Sarutobi said as he folded his hands and looked at Emiko.

"Alright," she responded, "What do I have to do?"

Emiko was very confident. She felt ready for anything the elderly man could throw at her.

"You must create… at least three duplicates of yourself."

Emiko had to bite her lower lip as hard as she could to keep herself from laughing hysterically. She had perfected the Bunshin no Jutsu during her first day at the Sand academy.

After calming herself, Emiko created the hand signs for this simple Jutsu and shouted "Bunshin no Jutsu!" After the large cloud of smoke that had formed disappeared, it could be seen that Emiko had created at least fifteen copies of herself, five times what was asked.

"Well, you certainly have proven yourself better than most of the students here," Sarutobi said with a small smirk on his face and a slight chuckle, "So, it gives me great pleasure to present you with the Konoha headband."

The Hokage held out a navy-blue headband with a metal protector and the Konoha insignia on it. Emiko removed her Sand Village headband and retied it to her upper right arm. She walked up to Sarutobi, bowed gratefully as she took the headband from him, and then tied it around her head. She smiled as she looked at the Hokage.

"Thank you, Hokage-sama!" Emiko said with another small bow.

"You're welcome," he replied, "Now, you should head to class. Iruka, one of the Chuunin here in Konoha, will put you onto a team with three other Genin and a Jounin sensei. You and your team will begin missions tomorrow."

"Alright. Thanks again, sir." Emiko bowed once again and quickly left the room. It was not until she was almost at where she left Sakura, that Emiko realized something…

"Oh no! I forgot to ask where the class was being held!"

Emiko sprinted back to the Hokage's office. She was about to knock on the door, but an elderly voice stopped her.

"Go back the way you came, turn left, and it's the first door on your right," Emiko heard the Sarutobi say from inside.

"Oh, um, thank you, Hokage-sama."

Her face pink with embarrassment, Emiko turned around and walked toward the classroom. When she got there, she slowly slid the door open, stepped inside, and closed the door behind her. One by one, the other Genin grew silent and looked at Emiko. Emiko noticed one of the boys glaring at her. Shrugging that off, she looked around and spotted Sakura and the one called Naruto, both waving at her. Emiko smiled slightly at them, and then turned to the Chuunin in the middle of the room, whom she assumed was Iruka. He had also stopped talking and looked around at who or what everyone was staring at: Emiko.

"Oh," he said, "You must be the transfer student from Suna," Emiko nodded in response. "Well, come on in and I'll put you on a team… How many copies did you create to pass?"

"It was somewhere around fifteen," Emiko responded as she shrugged and walked into the center of the room, "I could have done more, but I'm still a little weary from my journey here."

Everyone's jaws dropped and their eyes widened in amazement.

"Outstanding! Not even our best students could create that many duplicates during their exam. Very impressive," Iruka said. He was just as astonished as the Genin. "Well, since you are so skilled, you would probably do the best on… Team 7 with Sakura, Naruto, and Sasuke."

Emiko heard a loud "YES!" and turned to where it came from. She saw that Naruto was standing up with his arms in the air. He looked around and saw everyone giving him weird looks, and then slowly sat down again. Emiko couldn't help but chuckle a bit at this. It was then that she realized that the one called Sasuke was actually the guy that was guy who was glaring at her, as if she was his greatest enemy.

"Okay… Before you sit down with your team, how about you tell everyone your name?" Iruka asked politely.

"Oh, um, sure," Emiko replied tentatively as she turned to the Genin, "My name is…" She hesitated for a moment. "Emiko Uchiha."

A wave of conversation swept over the large group of Genin. They all seemed excited, but mostly confused. However, Sasuke looked more like he was about to spit flames. He stood up and everyone grew silent once more as the looked over at him.

"You're a damned liar!" he said furiously.

"And how is that!" Emiko spat in return. Nobody ever believed her when she said she was one of the surviving Uchiha clan members. It made her so mad that she wanted to use a fake name while in Konoha. But pride overcame her anger and she stuck with her original name. She did not want her deceased relatives to believe that she had to honor towards her clan, her family, and, most importantly, herself.

"Everyone of the Uchiha clan was killed many years ago! How could you be an Uchiha if they're all dead!" Sasuke yelled, hatred beginning to fill his eyes.

"Well, obviously not all of them are dead if I'm standing right here! Besides, how would YOU know if everyone died or not!" Emiko's temper was beginning to rise at a fast pace. She walked over to where Sasuke was so they were face to face.

Everyone was in shock due to the intensity of the quarrel. But nobody made a sound. They had never heard Sasuke speak a word about his past, and they wanted to hear every word.

Sasuke's fists tightened. He looked as if he was about to explode. He was getting really, REALLY angry.

"I know because I was there when it happened! I may have only been six when everyone was killed, but I still remember it perfectly! And I know that there were only two survivors! They were Itachi Uchiha and myself! Sasuke Uchiha!" He paused for a second as a single tear began to form in one of his eyes. "And I really don't appreciate using my deceased sister's name! So shut up and start telling the truth!"

Emiko's facial expressions softened as she looked into Sasuke's eyes. She couldn't believe what she was hearing… This young man was her brother that she thought was dead for all these years… Her brother was alive, and he was standing right in front of her.

"S-Sasuke?… I… You… You're alive! You're actually alive!" Emiko tried her hardest not to start crying, but failed quite miserably. She saw him giving her a weird look, and tried to explain herself. "Sasuke… It's me. I'm Emiko! Your sister! I was never dead! I've been alive this whole time! Please believe me, brother."

Sasuke looked into Emiko's bright sapphire eyes and saw the five-year-old girl he remembered. His expressions softened as he realized that the girl in front of him was telling the truth. The young ninja's eyes moistened and he pulled his younger sister into a tight embrace.

"Emiko," he muttered, "It really is you… Itachi didn't get you after all… I thought I had lost you, just like I lost everyone else…"

Emiko did not say anything in response, but just cried into Sasuke's shoulder.

After the Uchiha siblings calmed down, everyone requested for Emiko to tell them about how she got to the Hidden Sand Village and how her studies brought her back to Konoha. They were all so intrigued by her story, that nobody, not even Naruto, realized that they talked straight through lunch time, that is, until Emiko finished.

"OH NO! WE SKIPPED LUNCH!" Naruto shouted as he stood up and ran out the door, "DON'T WORRY, RAMEN! I'M COMING!"


	2. Memories

AoD: Thanks to everyone who read Chapter One! And thanks a ton to all the people who reviewed! Because of all of you, this story got 100 hits in just two days! So, once again, thanks!

AoD: Dang…. I can't believe I'm actually updating one of my stories so soon after it was published. lol. I give Kudos to the snowstorm that passed on Thursday night because it made school close on Friday! Yay!

AoD: I'll try and update my other stories as soon as I get inspiration for them.

AoD: Oh, and I finally found out the name of the Village Hidden in the Sand (Suna), so I edited it into the first chapter.

AoD: Now, it's time to respond to some reviews!

**Raven223**: Thankies.

**Meinos887**: heh… Trust me, you'll be seeing some of that. lol

**NarutoFanGirl4991**: Once again, Thankies! I will definitely continue this fic!

**Big Daddy Cool**: I find that really ironic…. Cuz I was thinking about doing that anyway. lmao

AoD: Oh, and so everyone knows, if you see and Japanese words that you don't understand, I'll have their translations at the bottom of the chapter. Arigatou!

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or any of its characters… Though I wish I did…. So deal with my lack of ownage.**

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**Chapter 2**

"I knew that you two looking alike wasn't just a coincidence! Plus you two sort of act the same!"

"Naruto-san, how would you have known that? You've never even talked to Emiko-chan before she was put on our team! Besides, Sasuke-kun and Emiko-chan act nothing alike! Sasuke-kun is all secluded, while Emiko-chan is outgoing and a little energetic!" Sakura responded.

"Well, I would have known that if you actually let me talk to her yesterday!"

"Will the two of you shut up! We're on a mission! We don't want it to hear us coming or it will get away again!" Sasuke snapped at the pair through their communicators.

"But this mission is so stupid!"

"A mission's a mission, Naruto-san, now focus! We can't let it escape today!" Emiko stated firmly.

"Ugh…. Kakashi-sensei! When do we get to go on REAL missions!" Naruto whined.

"Once you pass your Chuunin exam, you'll get to go on more difficult missions, but until then, this IS a real mission, Naruto," Kakashi said through his communicator, "Now be quiet and keep looking. Time's almost up."

They all went silent once more as the team sprinted through the forest, searching for their target. It was the day after Emiko became a ninja of Konoha and it was somewhere around two forty-five, by what they could tell from the sun's placement. They only had another fifteen minutes to complete this last mission.

'I, can't believe I'm thinking this, but I have to agree with Naruto,' Emiko thought, 'These are the types of jobs the academy students got back in Suna. Genin would be providing escorts through the countries, and the like. I wouldn't be doing these boring tasks if I had just stayed there, but… Then again… If I had stayed in Suna, then I would have never realized that Sasuke was still alive…'

The team continued to search through the dense woodland. It wasn't until a good five minutes later that Sasuke, Sakura, Emiko, and Kakashi heard Naruto's voice through their communicators.

"I found him!"

"Good job, Naruto," Kakashi responded, "Just stay there, be quite, and don't make and sudden movements. We'll surround him so he can't get away, then catch him."

After a minute, everyone was in position, the creature in plain sight. When Kakashi gave the signal, the four Genin charged at it. Naruto reached it first. He grabbed the creature and held it securely in his arms.

"AHA! I GOT HIM!… Aww… He's licking meeeEEEEEEAHHHHHHH!" Naruto screamed out in pain. "AHHHHH! I HATE CATS!"

The bottle-tailed cat had licked Naruto's hand, and then bit him. When Naruto's grip loosened on the cat, it jumped on top of him and began to swipe at his face with its claws. Naruto tried to throw the cat off of him, but it had the claws of its back legs dug into his jacket.

Kakashi walked over to the group and pulled out a piece of paper and a pencil.

"Can you confirm the identity of the cat?" Kakashi questioned.

"Affirmative," Sasuke responded, "There is a red bow and gold bell around it's neck."

"Good. Task five, 'Find and Capture Ms. Tsugami's cat, Mr. Whiskers', completed," Kakashi said as he checked off the last mission on the list, "Good work, Naruto."

"YOU CAN COMPLIMENT ME **AFTER** SOMEONE GETS THIS DAMNED CAT OFF OF ME! AHHHH!" Naruto shouted.

At that moment, Mr. Whiskers had dug his claws into Naruto's face and blood began to trickle slowly from the wound.

Emiko chuckled at the fact that Naruto couldn't even handle a small feline. She walked over to him and picked up the raging Mr. Whiskers. Immediately, the cat relaxed, curled up in Emiko's arms, and began to purr.

"Aww, he's so cute," she said as she scratched Mr. Whiskers gently behind the ears.

"Cute! He tried to rip my face off!" Naruto said as he put his hand over the small gash on his face.

"He probably just didn't like the fact that you tackled him, Naruto-san! Now, let's get this guy back to his owner."

* * *

When the group went inside the building where missions are assigned a few minutes later, a large woman came running up to them. She grabbed the cat out of Emiko's arms and put it in a lung-crushing hug. 

"Thank you so much for finding my Mr. Whiskers! I don't know what I would do without him!"

"Any time, Ms. Tsugami," Emiko said politely, "But it's Naruto-san you should be thanking. He's the one who found your cat."

Ms. Tsugami gave Naruto a quick, disgusted look. She gave a small "humph" then said, "Well, we should be going. Come, Mr. Whiskers."

Ms. Tsugami turned around and left the building, holding a frantic Mr. Whiskers tightly in her arms, as if she was trying to protect him from Naruto's gaze.

"Well, that was rude! She didn't even say 'thank you' to Naruto-san!" Emiko stated, slightly annoyed by how Ms. Tsugami treated Naruto.

"Don't worry, Emiko-chan. I'm used to it," Naruto said gloomily, "Pretty much everyone in Konoha treats me like dirt."

"What? But why?" Emiko queried.

"Well, I've always been sort of a troublemaker… So you could say that I haven't exactly won the popularity award…" Naruto grumbled as he crossed his arms and looked away.

It was then that Emiko could clearly see the cut on his face and realized that it was pretty deep as more blood flowed slowly from it. Naruto took out a small piece of cloth and held it against his small, yet deep wound, and winced while doing so. Emiko walked over to him and removed his hand from the gash.

"Here, let me help you with that," she said.

Emiko created a series of seals and her hands began to glow a dull green. She gently placed one of her hands on Nauro's wound. Almost instantly, the gash began to heal and disappear. When Emiko removed her hand, Naruto's wound was completely gone, as were all of the more minor scratches on his face. She stepped back and smiled.

Naruto put his hands on his face and realized what Emiko had done.

"Woah! What was that!" he asked in amazement.

Emiko was about to answer, but Kakashi cut her off.

"A healing jutsu… Interesting," he stated, "Not many Genin know how to use those. Who did you learn it from, Emiko?"

"Oh, my old sensei in Suna taught it to me. He was the best in the Sand Village."

"What do you mean, 'was'?" Sasuke asked.

"Well, he was killed in battle a few days before the last Chuunin Exam," Emiko responded, "Because there were no other Jounin available to teach us, the Kazekage had to find new places for us to be taught. My team ended up being separated and sent to different villages to complete our training."

"That's terrible…" Sakura stated.

"Yeah…. He was like a father to me…. But he's in a better place now; I know it. That's why I don't really get upset whenever I think about him… But, yeah, he's the one who taught me the healing jutsu."

"But doesn't that jutsu use up a lot of chakra? Especially when used by a less experienced ninja?" Sakura queried.

"Yeah, it usually does, but I'm not exactly inexperienced," Emiko said in response, "I was actually supposed to take the previous Chuunin Exam, but I didn't get the chance because Kazekaga-sama had begun to search for a village that would be willing to take me in and put me on a team."

"Well," Kakashi said, "If that's the case, Emiko, how about I arrange for you to participate in the next Chuunin Exam? It just so happens to be taking place in three months."

"Really! That would be great, Kakashi-sensei!"

"Now, I'm not promising anything. You'll have to prove that you're skilled enough to handle the exam," Kakashi warned. He then paused to think. "Actually, it's pretty ironic how the younger Uchiha is more skilled than the elder… I don't know. Maybe Sasuke just isn't trying. Maybe he doesn't want to get stronger."

Kakashi shrugged as they walked out of the building, but smirked under his mask. Sasuke, however, was not too pleased with Kakashi's statement.

"What do you mean!" Sasuke snapped, causing everyone to stop dead in their tracks, "I'm just as strong as Emiko-chan, if not stronger!"

"Is that a fact, Sasuke?" Kakashi asked. Sasuke did not respond, but looked sternly at his sensei. "Alright, then prove it… Train with Emiko. See if you can keep up with her… But, not just you, Sasuke. I want Sakura and Naruto to do this as well."

"What!" Naruto and Sakura shouted simultaneously.

"You can't be serious!" Naruto yelled.

"Oh, but I am, Naruto," Kakashi replied calmly, "You will have two months. In that time, if all of you can come close to, or even rival Emiko's level of skill, then I will consider handing in all of your names to Hokage-sama and you will all be able to take part in the Chuunin Exam."

"Are you sure about this, Kakashi-sensei?" Sakura questioned.

"Yes, I'm sure. But you only have to do this if you think you're ready."

"I'll do it!" Naruto shouted, "But… Only if you're okay with it, Emiko-chan."

"Oh, I don't mind," Emiko responded, "It actually sounds like fun!"

Emiko smiled as she said that. Naruto then turned back to Kakashi, a grin running from ear to ear plastered on his face.

"Alright! I'm in!" he said.

"Count me in too!" Sakura added cheerfully.

Emiko noticed that Sasuke never agreed to this new task, and looked over at him.

"Come on, Niisan! Train with us! Naruto-san is doing it! And you don't want to be left out, do you?"

Sasuke glared at Naruto for a split second, and then muttered, "Fine, I'll do it."

"Good," Kakashi said with a small nod of approval, "You will start your training tomorrow. I will try not to give you too many missions, that way, you'll still have enough time and energy to train."

"Arigatou, Kakashi-sensei!" they all said in unison.

A long silence passed. Nobody spoke or moved… Well… Until they all heard Naruto's stomach growl loudly and fell over anime-style.

"Well," Kakashi said as they stood up, "I guess it's time to get something to eat. Naruto, it's your turn to choose where to eat."

"Score! Ramen time!" Naruto said with delight.

"Ugh… Naruto-san, can't you ever choose someplace other than Ichiraku Ramen?" Sakura said with a sigh.

"No way! I like ramen!"

"Actually, ramen sounds pretty good to me!" Emiko said with a smile.

"Come on! Let's go, then!" the oblivious Naruto shouted as he grabbed Emiko's hand, causing her to turn a slight shade of pink, and dragged her to Ichiraku Ramen.

This sight caused Sasuke to twitch, but he shook it off and he, Sakura, and Kakashi ran after the two.

* * *

When everyone reached Ichiraku Ramen, they each ordered their favorite ramen. 

"Itadakimasu!"

Naruto began to scarf down his ramen, but before he was even halfway done with his bowl of Miso ramen, Emiko's bowl was already empty as she held it up and was asking Ji for seconds.

Ji chuckled, handed Emiko another bowl, and said to Naruto, "It looks like you have some competition, Naruto-san."

((AoD: Just a quick comment… I find it hilarious that as I'm writing this, I'm scarfing down my own ramen. lol))

* * *

"I hope this doesn't mean we'll be eating ramen at least twice a week from now on…" Sakura said with a slight groan. 

"Don't worry, Sakura-chan," Emiko responded with a smile, "I only agreed with having ramen tonight because I haven't had it for months. I'll be sure to choose some place other than Ichiraku Ramen when it's my turn… Well… Once I see what types of places there are." She let out a small sigh. "Everything has changed so much."

Kakashi had decided to go home early, leaving Sakura, Sasuke, Naruto, and Emiko to do what they please. They were now walking through Konoha, giving Emiko a chance to look around. Pretty much nothing was the same. Nothing looked familiar to her.

"Well," Naruto said, "I know of one place that probably hasn't changed too much! Come on! Let's go!"

Once again, Naruto grabbed Emiko's hand and dragged her through the village, leaving Sakura and Sasuke alone, which Sasuke really didn't like. Sasuke, not wanting to be alone with Sakura during any point of his life, quickly ran off after Naruto and Emiko with Sakura chasing after him.

* * *

When Naruto and Emiko stopped running, Emiko let out a small gasp. 

"Wow!" she muttered in amazement, "It's just how I remember it!"

Naruto had led her to the river, which was surrounded by Cherry Blossom Trees, which were currently in full bloom. A large smile crept onto Emiko's face at the sight.

"It's so beautiful!" Emiko exclaimed. She then turned to Naruto and gave him a big hug. "Thank you so much for bringing me here, Naruto-kun!"

"Naruto… kun?" Naruto said slowly, "Does that mean we're good friends now, Emiko-chan?"

"Huh?" It was then that Emiko realized what she had just done. She quickly pulled away from Naruto, her face bright crimson in color. "Oh, yeah. Good friends. That's us!" She smiled coyly at Naruto.

Just then, Sakura and Sasuke caught up with them. Emiko was relieved by their arrival, for Naruto did not have the chance to notice her flushed face.

"Sasuke-kun! Look! It's so beautiful!" Emiko said excitedly as she embraced her brother, "It looks exactly the way it did when Choukei brought us here!"

Sasuke did not respond. He clenched his fists and his face grew stern.

"Niisan?" Emiko let go of Sasuke and looked at him. "What's wrong?"

Sakura, knowing how this would probably turn out, grabbed Naruto and dragged him away, leaving the Uchiha siblings alone.

"How… How can you mention HIM with such… Such cheerfulness?" Sasuke asked her. Hatred was flowing through every word he said.

"Well, why shouldn't I? I mean, Itachi-kun is our brother!" Emiko defended.

Sasuke looked into Emiko's eyes and realized just how innocent her mind was. She really had no idea how it happened… And who did it…

"You… Don't remember, do you?"

"Remember what, Niisan?" Emiko asked.

"Remember who killed our entire clan, Emiko!"

"Well… I didn't exactly see it, so I assumed that it was done by a rival clan… But what are you getting at with this? You aren't trying to say that Choukei…" Emiko looked deeply into Sasuke's eyes and saw the truth. "You mean… Itachi… He…"

Emiko dropped to her knees and began to cry uncontrollably. Sasuke kneeled down in front of her and put his hands on her shoulders, trying to comfort her. He couldn't say that everything would be all right, because that would be the biggest lie of his life.

"Don't worry, Imoutosan," he said, "He won't get away with it."

"No…" Emiko said. Hatred flowed through her words like venom. This anger was unlike any Sasuke had heard coming from his little sister. "No, he won't…"

Emiko lifted her head and Sasuke gasped inwardly as he found himself staring into two dark red orbs.

* * *

Arigatou – Thank You  
Niisan – Elder Brother  
Itadakimasu – Expression of Gratitude Before a Meal  
Choukei – Eldest Brother  
Imoutosan – Younger Sister 

AoD: Well, that's all for this chapter! Hope you liked it! Don't forget to review! Matane! (Goodbye/See You Later)


	3. The Sharingan

AoD: Hey! Thanks for the reviews! And… I must say… That I am terribly sorry that it has taken me so long to update. School is crap. As are homework assignments, chores, grades, and groundedness… And it doesn't help that I've been one depressed little neko girl… And it REALLY doesn't help that my friends are of no assistance to me, especially when it comes to emotional problems… I swear that they don't have hearts…

AoD: I don't really have anything else to say so…

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Naruto or any of its characters.

**Chapter 3**

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* * *

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"Kakashi-sensei, how was Emiko-chan able to activate her Sharingan?" Sasuke asked, "I am a year older than her, yet she can already activate the Sharingan while I have just accomplished that very feat myself! How was she able to stimulate it so soon?"

It was a cold Autumn morning; colder than it had ever been during that time of year. Sasuke and Kakashi were sitting in a secluded area near the riverbank where Sasuke had just finished telling his sensei about everything that had occurred the previous night. It took Kakashi quite some time to think of an answer to the young Uchiha's question.

"Sasuke, you have to understand that even though Emiko is younger than you, she is still more skilled than you, therefore she will most likely develop abilities faster than you," Kakashi stated, trying to calm his student, "Now, as you may know, the Sharingan usually activates when its user feels a large amount of emotion. In your sister's case, it was through her anger. Emiko knew that most of her clan had been murdered, but because she did not see it happen, she, therefore, did not know who had committed that terrible crime. Emiko has apparently been bottling up her sadness and anger inside herself, so when she found out that Itachi, her very own brother whom she loved and looked up to, was the one who killed the rest of the Uchiha clan, she couldn't contain her feelings any longer. Her new hatred for Itachi sent her over the edge. Emiko's anger was finally released, and in the process, her Sharingan was stimulated. It may not be complete yet, but it was activated none the less."

"I see," Sasuke said shortly. Minutes passed as the two sat in silence. Then Sasuke spoke up once more. "So, what do we do now, Kakashi-sensei?"

"**You** will go train with Naruto, Sakura, and Emiko," Kakashi stated.

"And you will…?"

"**I** will observe how much each of you has progressed."

"In other words… You'll be reading your little R-rated book… Got it," Sasuke retorted.

"Heh… Surprisingly, I won't this time. I will be watching every single move the four of you make, keeping mental notes… And apparently, I'm talking to myself…"

It wasn't until Kakashi looked up that he realized Sasuke had already left, leaving him talking to a squirrel.

* * *

As the day went on, the temperature skyrocketed. It was a little past noon, the hottest time of the day. The sun was high and there were few clouds to protect the training grounds from its burning gaze. 

The young, female Uchiha stood perfectly still, her eyes closed, waiting. Just one disturbed branch, the rustling of a single leaf. Any small noise or movement would give away their positions. They knew that. She knew that. If they were on a mission, any mistakes, even the minutest error, would mean their death. Although it was only practice, the group chose to treat it as if it was a mission… That is… After Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura underestimated Emiko, resulting in their humiliating defeat. The team had been practicing their camouflage techniques all morning. One of the Genin would stand in the center of the clearing while the other three hid amongst the trees and shrubbery. It was the job of the lone ninja to find the others. Though, it wasn't as easy as it sounded, considering that he or she could not move from their spot in the center of the clearing and no special Jutsu could be used. In order to end that turn, the single person had to listen for the other three. When the searcher finds them, he or she would throw a kunai at them and have it land a few inches away from the person, either to the left, right, above, or below them, as to not hurt them.

'Okay… Last time, they underestimated me… Or just went easy on me… Either way, they failed miserably…' Emiko thought as her eyes still closed, listening carefully to her surroundings, 'Hopefully, this time they've increased their camouflage ten-fold.'

Five minutes passed. Fifteen. Thirty. Soon came the hour and still did the kunoichi stand there. This was another purpose for this training. Patience. This was a virtue that the team, more specifically, Naruto, needed to learn. Emiko had not moved an inch since the beginning of the training session, that is, until two o'clock rolled by. The young Uchiha's eyes snapped open and her hand dove into her weapon's pouch on her hip. In a split second, Emiko removed three kunai from the pouch and threw one of them to her right, hitting in the center of the lower section of a tree. She heard a yelp, and smirked.

"Naruto, you disappoint me," she stated loud enough for her teammates, as well as Kakashi to hear, "You let yourself slip after only an hour. But it was better than last time. I was actually beginning to think this would be a challenge."

Emiko then looked over at the tree that the kunai had it. She bit her lower lip to hold back her laughter. The site was worth a chuckle, but what Emiko thought might be going through Naruto's head at the moment was unbearably funny. Naruto, eyes wide and jaw shaking, was clinging for dear life to a low branch of the tree, his legs spread into almost a complete split. The kunai that Emiko had thrown could be seen in the exact spot where Naruto's groin would have been if he had remained standing on the ground. A chuckle slipped from Emiko's mouth as she opened it to speak once again.

"Oh, and… Nice reflexes," she said, "Consider yourself lucky, Naruto. Just think… If you hadn't moved at that moment, you would have had to say goodbye to your friend." Naruto was still in too much shock to speak. "What's the matter? Cat got your tongue? I find it quite funny, actually."

Naruto finally snapped himself back to his senses, dropped from the branch, and started walking over to Kakashi, whom, like Sasuke had predicted earlier that day, was reading "Ichi Ichi Paradise".

"Yeah, yeah. Funny. Ha ha," Naruto grumbled, "Try saying that after **you** almost get your pride and joy cut off!"

Emiko giggled for a second, then went back to listening for the other two. She didn't have to wait long, however, because Sasuke, after seeing this, shifted uncomfortably position. This small movement told Emiko exactly where her brother was. Soon after throwing another kunai, Sasuke jumped down from the top of a tree in front of her and walked over to his sister.

"That was just plain wrong, Emiko, and you know it."

"Yeah, I know. And I also knew that Naruto would have been able to dodge that kunai and that the thought of me cutting off your buddies would effect the two of you, therefore, causing you to shift and giving me the chance to- Hold on a second, okay, Niisan?"

In the middle of her sentence, Emiko had heard a rustle of leaves. Turning away from her brother, she threw her third kunai at a tree to her left. There was a tiny, high-pitched yelp and a moment later, Sakura stepped into the clearing.

"You let their 'capture' get to you. You can't let yourself become stressed whenever you're the only one remaining. You have to be strong and keep a level head. If you don't, you will cause your own demise."

"I couldn't have said it better myself, Emiko," Kakashi stated as he and Naruto walked up to the three, "Though I must admit that I agree with Sasuke. That one tactic was unneeded. And if I remember correctly, we agreed not to aim directly at the others."

"I know, Kakashi-sensei, and I'm sorry. But I just wanted to prove a point."

"And what would that point be?"

A wicked smirk had seemed to glue itself to Emiko's face ever since she located Naruto, and it refused to go away. By all means, the guys found it downright scary.

"If you aim just right, you can cause all of the male shinobi in the area to give away their locations. It's an undeniable fact." The three male ninja shuddered at the thought, causing Emiko to laugh and even make a giggle slip from Sakura. "My point, exactly. But, I also had two more points to prove. Naruto, you can't let boredom get a hold of you. That is the first step to the team's failure. Not only that, but when bored, you tend to become distracted and not pay attention to your movements or those of others. Sakura, you tensed up as soon as you realized that you were the only one left. That is possibly the worst thing to do. Not only does it lower your reaction timing, but it also ruins your judgment as well as your ability to fight to your fullest. You need to learn to relax. Whenever that sort of thing happens, you need to pause for a moment, take a deep breath, and repeat to yourself, mentally, I might add, what you need to do next. Otherwise, you'll let your team down, as well as yourself."

"Very well said, Emiko. I am quite amazed by your observations as well as knowledge of the human psyche," Kakashi said, putting a hand on his student's shoulder, "I believe that you could become an outstanding team leader. Maybe even a Tokubetsu Jounin."

"Really!" This was the first time someone had ever given Emiko such a spectacular compliment. She was even more amazed by the fact that it came from her new sensei, whom had only known her for three days by then.

"If you pass the exams, then yes, really."

"Wow! That's great, Emiko!" Naruto exclaimed.

"Thanks, Naruto-kun," Emiko managed to say after her cheeks turned a light shade of pink.

"Oh, Emiko," Naruto said in realization, "Your face. It's starting to turn red. Is it sunburn? Maybe you should get out of the sun for a little bit."

"O-oh. Yeah. Okay. I'll go do that."

Emiko quickly walked over to a tree and sat underneath it before the others could notice her now dark crimson face.

* * *

"Niisan, could you come over here for a minute?" 

It was almost five o'clock when Team Seven's training sessions ended. Kakashi was observing the young Genin, only staying so that they could ask him for assistance with their training if they needed it. Naruto and Sakura were both exhausted and had collapsed under a tree. Emiko was standing under a tree across the clearing from them while Sasuke was still training his ass off in the center of the clearing. Emiko grew to be quite annoyed when her brother ignored her.

"Come on, Sasuke! If you keep training like this, you're going to give yourself a stroke! And let me tell you this: If you die before you're fifteen because you trained yourself right into a stroke, then you're going to have a suicidal sister!"

After hearing this, Sasuke sighed and reluctantly walked over to Emiko.

'_Cool, it worked!' _Emiko thought, _'Though, I wasn't being entirely serious… Wait… Yes I was.'_

"What do you want?" Sasuke grumbled.

"A fond 'hello' to you, too, brother…" Emiko drawled sarcastically.

"Just tell me what you wanted and let me get back to my training."

'_I'm beginning to understand why Naruto always gets annoyed with him…_' 

"I was just wondering… Remember last night, when you told me the truth about… About our family's murder?"

"I'd rather _not_ remember, but yeah," Sasuke stated, "What about it?

"Well, I haven't been able to activate my Sharingan at all afterwards. Why?"

Sasuke let out a large sigh. He knew this question was coming. He just hoped that he would be able to tell his sister what she wanted to hear. The male Uchiha sat down against the trunk of a nearby tree and motioned for Emiko to join him.

"Oddly enough, I had asked Kakashi-sensei almost the exact same thing this morning."

"Really? What did he say?"

"He said that the reason your Sharingan was activated was because of your emotions, in last night's case, your anger."

"So," Emiko paused for a moment. "The only reason it activated was because I was angry?"

"Yes… And no."

Emiko threw her brother a puzzled look.

"It's true, that your Sharingan was stimulated because of your anger. But it also happened because of the immense amount of anger and hatred that you felt." Another quizzical expression appeared on his sister's face. "Emiko, the Sharingan responds to _all_ strong emotions, not just anger. It can be activated through fear, anger, hatred, and even happiness."

"So basically… The Sharingan reacts to whatever I feel?"

"That's right. But, remember that it also uses up a large amount of chakra. So leave the Sharingan as a last resort until your body becomes used to the drain of chakra."

"Okay. I think I understand now, Niisan," Emiko said as she stood up and stretched out her arms, "Well, I think I'm going to go train for a little longer. I'll meet up with you later, okay, Sasuke?"

"Sure, but remember Emiko, don't train _too_ hard. Because if you die, you're going to have a suicidal brother." A smirk slid onto Sasuke's face as he watched his younger sister walk to a different section of the clearing.

Emiko did not turn around at the comment, but instead waved off the statement and continued walking.

"Very funny, Niisan. When I'm done training, remind me to fake a laugh."

* * *

After an extra half hour of training, Emiko dropped to her knees, drenched in sweat and breathing heavily. She clenched her fist and, in frustration, punched the ground in front of her. 

"Damn it!" she shouted, "Why can't I do it!"

"Why? Well, that's easy. You're not using enough of your emotions."

Emiko jumped with a start and quickly stumbled to her feet to face the owner of the voice. She sighed in relief when she found herself looking at a familiar face.

"Oh, Niisan. I didn't hear you come over."

"Is it safe to assume that you're trying to re-activate your Sharingan?" Sasuke asked as he walked closer to Emiko.

"Yeah… Do you think you could help me?"

"I don't see why not…" Sasuke was now but a few feet away from her sister. "Now, close your eyes and release every single thought from your head." Emiko immediately complied. "Good. Now, I want you remember last night. Think about what I had told you about our family, about Itachi. Remember the anger you felt towards him. Remember your hatred." Sasuke could see his sister's fists tighten. "Think of how our so-called brother ruthlessly murdered our family. Think of how you felt when you believed all of your relatives to be dead, including me. Think of all the people Itachi has hurt and even killed in this world. Think of how he betrayed all who trusted him. Okaasan… Otousan… Us… Feel your hatred towards him flow through your body and let it take form in your chakra."

'_Sasuke trusted him… I trusted him… He turned against us. He tried to kill us… He murdered the rest of our clan… For this, I cannot forgive him… I'll become strong… I'll make him wish he had never betrayed us!_'

Sasuke could feel the air around Emiko becoming warmer as his sister's chakra grew by the second. He could feel Emiko's hatred for Itachi flowing through her chakra, just as he had instructed. Her power was overwhelming. Sasuke was now beginning to regret ever having informed Emiko of Itachi's crime, but he knew that it had to be done.

Across the clearing, the rest of the team could also feel the chakra coming from their new comrade.

"That chakra… It's so strong… Could it be…" Kakashi muttered as he quickly looked around, "No… It can't be Naruto… He's standing right over there. Can that really be-"

"Woah! Where is that chakra coming from?" Naruto shouted.

"I-I think it's coming from… From Emiko!" Sakura exclaimed in both surprise and fear, "But how?"

The three looked over at the Uchiha siblings and Kakashi immediately realized what was going on. He smirked under his mask and began to speak.

"Sasuke is teaching Emiko how to activate her Sharingan through her emotions," he stated, "But..." His smirk vanished. "Her power is growing at an alarmingly fast pace. If it doesn't stop soon, it will become to much for Emiko to handle and she will get out of control."

Naruto and Sakura stared at Kakashi for a moment, and then returned their wide-eyed gaze to the two Uchiha, more specifically, Emiko.

"Emiko! You've done it! You activated your Sharingan!" Sasuke said, his excitement showing clearly in his voice. When Emiko didn't respond, Sasuke paused. "Emiko?" Sasuke looked at his younger sister and saw tears flowing down her cheeks. "Emiko? Are you okay?" He looked deeper into Emiko's eyes and saw that her tears were not of joy or sorrow, but of pure anger. He could hear his sister muttering and walked closer to hear.

"I… I'm going to kill that bastard… I don't care if I die in the process…" Emiko's voice grew much louder with every word. "I'm going to kill Itachi if it's the last thing I do!"

"Emiko… Emiko, relax. We will find him. He will pay for what he's done. But you can't-"

"Say out of this, Sasuke!" Emiko snapped, "I don't need your help! **I** will find Itachi! **I** will fight Itachi! And **I** will **kill** Itachi! I'll do it on my own if I have to! So stay out of my way if you don't want to suffer the same fate!"

With that, Emiko sprinted into the forest as fast as she could, heading for the main part of the village... And the Main Gate.

"Sasuke, what happened?" Kakashi questioned as he, Sakura, and Naruto ran over to the young Uchiha. He knew that whatever Emiko was running off to do couldn't be anything good.

"I'll explain on the way, Kakashi-sensei. Right now, we have to get over to the Main Gate and cut off Emiko before she leaves the village… And becomes a Missing-nin…"

* * *

**Okaasan** - Mother  
**Otousan** - Father  
**Niisan** - Elder Brother 

AoD: Well, that's it, everyone! I hope you enjoyed reading this installment as much as I enjoyed writing it! See you back here for Chapter 4!


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